


When We Were Young

by Francowitch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aging, Angst, Growth, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, glimpses through Shiro & Keith's life, ive heard this will make you cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 12:00:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16810180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Francowitch/pseuds/Francowitch
Summary: glimpses through Keith and Shiro's life together, their bond and relationship...





	When We Were Young

**Author's Note:**

> Don't blame me... this is all [Shino ](https://rainlikestars.tumblr.com/)'s fault... She shared the song [When We Were Young ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDWKuo3gXMQ) by Adele with me... and said "wouldn't this make a great wedding fic"... which is what I intended to write... and instead ended up with this angst fest... ENJOY!!! <3
> 
> Thank you [Glimmerystarlight ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glimmerystarlight) for looking this over! You're a gem!

**When We Were Young**

  


_Everybody loves the things you do_  
_From the way you talk_  
_To the way you move_  
_Everybody here is watching you_  
_'Cause you feel like home_  
_You're like a dream come true_  
_But if by chance you're here alone_  
_Can I have a moment_  
_Before I go?_  
_'Cause I've been by myself all night long_  
_Hoping you're someone I used to know_

Keith remembers when he first saw Shiro, the way even his teacher would sway under his unwavering gaze. How this young man from the Garrison brought what was basically a game for the students to try, calling it a test for their aptitude. How the teacher kept trying to push James in Shiro’s direction while giving backhanded insults in Keith’s direction. Despite the attacks, Shiro seemed to see something in Keith. He saw beyond the surface, beyond his background, even seeing good after Keith stole his car right after they met. Keith didn’t deserve the love and friendship he had received in this lifetime from Shiro.

_You look like a movie_  
_You sound like a song_  
_My God, this reminds me_  
_Of when we were young_

Memories of that day on the launching pad, the moment when Keith realized what he felt was more than just admiration. The way his heart tightened in his chest when Shiro told him that he was going up on the mission. It was almost too much, too real. Soon he would be leaving earth, sure it would only be a short while in the scheme of things. When Shiro confided about Adam and what had happened, Keith knew that it wasn’t the right time to express his feelings. That could wait. The one thing he could never be was selfish when it came to Shiro and last thing he wanted was to have the man leave with any regrets. So with a soft smile and a tight hug, Keith wished him luck, sending him off into the stars. What else could he do? To try and bind him there on Earth with a confession would make him no better than his ex, and that was not something he was willing to do. Not now, not ever.

_Let me photograph you in this light_  
_In case it is the last time_  
_That we might be exactly like we were_  
_Before we realized_  
_We were sad of getting old_  
_It made us restless_  
_It was just like a movie_  
_It was just like a song_

A few months, that was all it took before word of Shiro’s death rang across all media hubs. The loss of those who went off on their mission to Kerberos. In that moment, Keith felt like his heart would stop completely, his whole soul shattered into a million pieces. How could he ever be the same with Shiro no longer on this world, in this universe? For the first time in a long time, Keith felt himself totally lose control. He no longer cared to go to classes and be the ‘good boy’ that he always had been for Shiro. There was no longer a point for his going to the Garrison. Then came the moment that Keith lost it, when the news announced that it was due to Pilot Error that the mission failed. How could that be? Shiro was among the best, and certainly was not so clumsy to have done something so fatal. But who was going to listen to a teenager?

_I was so scared to face my fears_  
_Nobody told me that you'd be here_  
_And I swear you moved overseas_  
_That's what you said, when you left me_

Frantic and manic, Keith searched from his dusty shack in the middle of the desert. Plans and maps, trying to triangulate a signal which kept coming up and just felt like it had to be connected in some way to Shiro. Keith needed to find a way out there, a way that he could gain access to what the government knew and wasn’t telling. There had to be a reason as to why a piece of his heart just could not let go of someone who everyone else seemed so ready to forget. The hallowed look in Mrs. Holt’s eyes only spurned Keith forward. She too knew there was something more, something that they were not being told.

Then it happened.

There was a crash as something came hurtling through the atmosphere. Keith had been scanning the radio but he had heard the sound. Scrambling to his porch he watched a ball of flame careen to the ground, then there was the crackle from inside.

‘Takashi Shirogane...’

Once more Keith felt his heart bottom out. He knew where the medical bay was, where they would be taking him. Flying out to his father’s old speeder, Keith kicked it into gear and drove into the night. Dust kicked up behind him as he went speeds that were unsafe for the lack of light, but he had to know. He had to see if it was really _his_ Shiro.

_You still look like a movie_  
_You still sound like a song_  
_My God, this reminds me_  
_Of when we were young_

Keith remembers seeing him again after so long, the feel of him waking in his arms, remembering where he was and who was holding him. It didn’t matter that there were three others with them, for all Keith could see was Shiro.

So many things to have happened in such a short period of time.

From Earth to the far reaches of the universe, together they flew, fought, and grew older. Each time closer and closer to death. Until it happened, and Shiro disappeared, leaving Keith behind once more. Keith could feel himself snapping, his whole person strung tight. Just one pluck of the string and he might snap, many times where he did do just that. The unwavering support of the others who looked on with pity. Never did Keith want the reigns of black, the title of leader. He just wanted Shiro. It was never his place, never his spot.

He knew that he wasn’t alone, something within Black also screamed out, missing their leader, their proper pilot. And yet there was something more, something Keith couldn’t quite hear, or perhaps it was just that he didn't want to acknowledge the truth.

Then, once Shiro was found, Keith felt restless and was not able to stay in the castle among the others. The man who he searched for fervently was not right, and Keith felt his heart break every time he looked his way. So further and further he pulled himself, away from the others and from the man he thought he loved.

_Let me photograph you in this light_  
_In case it is the last time_  
_That we might be exactly like we were_  
_Before we realized_  
_We were sad of getting old_  
_It made us restless_  
_It was just like a movie_  
_It was just like a song_

A clone.

Two years.

How could he have allowed that to happen? Keith couldn’t believe his eyes when on the Astral plane of Black’s mind when he saw Shiro standing there. _His_ Shiro.

It was in that moment that everything dawned on him, why the other one was not right, never felt like home. Meanwhile this ghostly figure felt more like home than anything he had felt in years. But he was dead.

By some miracle Keith watched as Shiro’s conscience was removed from the lion and into the body of the clone. His hair, no longer black as a raven’s wing, no longer with a small shock of white on his forelock, now entirely the colour of freshly fallen snow. But it was him, it was all him. Keith could feel his soul swell back up and he came back to life as he had not felt in years. This time he was not going to let go or let a moment pass without telling what he truly felt in his heart.

_When we were young_  
_When we were young_  
_When we were young_  
_When we were young_

Making their way home was like trying to relearn about each other. For a while Shiro wouldn’t even stay with Keith. It seemed to be on the pretense of allowing Keith and Krolia time to bond and connect. Ignoring the fact that they had several years on the space whale, learning more than anyone should learn about their parent. Keith couldn’t argue though as his mother looked on, watching as her son let the man he loved try to sort out his own feelings.

Keith wasn’t sure anymore how to reach Shiro.

He didn’t even know if he truly deserved to be at the man’s side. How could he call himself worthy when he didn’t even notice when a clone had taken over him, that Back wouldn’t accept him until Keith forced it? He should have known.

_It's hard to admit that_  
_Everything just takes me back_  
_To when you were there_  
_To when you were there_  
_And a part of me keeps holding on_  
_Just in case it hasn't gone_  
_I guess I still care_  
_Do you still care?_

Fighting on Earth, defending home from the Galra invasion.

Here Keith knew. He watched as once more his heart hurtled from the sky on a flaming ship. Fighting for his life. Watched as Shiro plummeted through the atmosphere locked in combat a top of the ship. Seeing the pair dance back and forth with pieces of the ship flying past them in balls of flame. How Shiro had managed to survive was anyone’s guess. All that Keith knew was that he was not going to watch Shiro die, not when he could save him this time.

Keith threw Black towards Shiro’s estimated landing spot. He was not going to give Sendak the satisfaction of the upper hand. He could feel Black pushing herself seeing what was happening before their eyes, she would not fail her cub again. Together the careened across the barren desert, clouds of sand kicking up in their wake. With barely seconds to spare Keith came flying from Black’s open jaws, slicing cleanly through the Galran General and landing in front of Shiro, his chest heaving from the effort.

Things were never going to be the same after this.

_It was just like a movie_  
_It was just like a song_  
_My God, this reminds me_  
_Of when we were young_

Keith thought he was about to die, that moment as the Galran bot swung out and was about to throw another beam at them. There was nothing left for Voltron, they were out of stamina and power. Keith was ready, though, with at least knowing that Shiro was safe, that he was alive. It was alright, it was now his turn to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Watching the Atlas transform, though, was unexpected. Keith felt his chest swell as the titan ship smashed the Galra bot away as though it were no more than a fly. It was perfection the way they moved together, Votron and Atlas. Once more Keith could fight by Shiro’s side, and it was good. Perhaps he wouldn’t die this day.

_When we were young_  
_When we were young_  
_When we were young_  
_When we were young_

When they were finally out of the hospital, and celebrations were had, the Paladins and Shiro kept on assisting Earth and the rest of the alliance in rebuilding. But there was a moment where it was enough. They had done all that they could do for the Universe and it was time for them to retire, to allow another generation to take over being protectors.

Both men, now heavily scared and battle worn, retired to the small shack in the middle of the desert. Late nights were spent reminiscing on old times as though they weren’t in their mid thirties but actually nearing their sixties.

War had a way of aging people, and they were no longer fresh and hopeful as they had been so many years prior.

Keith cried though, as battle hardened as he was. The moment that Shiro, his hero and best friend went down on one knee. A small simple circlet in his hand, Keith’s mother, wolf, and Kolivan the only witnesses to the event. Never had Keith in his wildest of dreams thought that this would happen to him, that he would be able to say ‘yes’ to something as mundane and simple as marriage. How this simple thing could bring such joy to his lonely existence. And how he couldn’t think of a better person to spend his life beside.

_Let me photograph you in this light_  
_In case it is the last time_  
_That we might be exactly like we were_  
_Before we realized_  
_We were sad of getting old_  
_It made us restless_  
_Oh, I'm so mad I'm getting old_  
_It makes me reckless_

Years pass and now much older, Keith snuggles into Shiro. Gone are the smooth lines on their skin, their scars now covered in wrinkles and indistinguishable from other marks of age. The walls of their once shack now fixed and covered with photographs showing their life together. A group shot just post wedding, a favourite as both men are clasped hand in hand laughing as confetti rains down on them, surrounded by friends and family, some who are no longer with them.

Breathing is hard now, let alone walking. Most days they would just sit side by side, hands clasped together or cuddling, always touching. They would look over their home, their yard, enjoying simple things like sunsets and the like. Their children long grown and moved out, visiting to check in on them, trying to get them to move closer to a city. But Keith was stubborn back when he was only ten, now he was a hundred times more so, and Shiro was not much better. They were happy there, among their memories. It was the place which they had both called haven and their home. Where they had raised a family and settled down. The place where Kosmo was laid to rest after living for such a long time, granted neither of them were quite sure how long space wolves were supposed to live.

Sometimes though Keith’s memories would slip. It was like he could see them happening. The moment where he could feel the fuzziness and confusion. Calling out for Kosmo or for Shiro, not remembering that they were much older and the wolf long since gone. They were the bad days, left with both men exhausted, clinging to each other as though to a life raft while adrift at sea.

It was no surprise to those that knew them, when they were found together at the end. As always their hands clasped together, curled against each other in bed. A smile on both of their faces, looking as though they were in a soft dream.

_It was just like a movie_  
_It was just like a song_  
_When we were young_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!!
> 
> Comments and Kudos feeds my muse!
> 
> Come follow me on Tumblr for more fics and chatter... my ask is always open  
> [francowitch ](http://francowitch.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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